All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose life.

There is nothing rarer than a man who can be trusted never to throw away happiness, however eagerly he sometimes grasps it. In history we are as frequently interested in our own doom.

Fiction and poetry are the only way one can stop time and give an account of an experience and nail it down so that it lasts for ever.

Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul.

The principle of avoiding the unnecessary expenditure of energy has enabled the species to survive in a world full of stimuli; but it prevents the survival of the aristocracy.

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.

It seemed a good idea at the time.